


We'll Be Chasing Starlight

by ThePenultimateAvenger



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Starfleet Academy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-20 04:00:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/882698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePenultimateAvenger/pseuds/ThePenultimateAvenger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonard McCoy is the one to break up the fight in that bar, and he's Jim's inspiration for joining Starfleet. And maybe Jim's been a little bit in love with the guy ever since.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had the sudden urge to write McKirk and this happened.

He isn't thinking when he hits on Uhura at the bar.

He's had a few, and she's hot. So's the bartender who he hit on ten minutes before Uhura approached the bar. He's just hitting on her, just like he did with every other new face in this goddamned town because he has nothing better to do than drink, fuck, and maybe finally find something that can break apart the rut that he's worn himself into. His intention _really_ isn't to start shit, because he knows that Uhura could kick his ass easy, but then there's some meathead stepping in to defend her before Jim even knows what's happening.

He feels the impact reverberate through his skull and, yeah, his nose is probably broken, and he's stumbling backwards. And _of course_ Cupcake isn't finished yet and he's hurling another punch before Jim can even try to defend himself, his equilibrium already off. This time, he's sent back onto a table, landing painfully as his feet desperately try to find hold on the floor in an attempt to regain his balance. Jim braces himself for another hit, but it never comes because someone whistles, high-pitched and loud, effectively bringing everyone to their senses. Jim can't see the guy very well, but he's lowering his fingers from his lips, eyebrows furrowed as a silence draws on for a few seconds. Then the owner of the bar is saying something about Jim and Cupcake “getting kicked out if this shit continues” and “consider yourselves warned”, but Jim is honestly too busy wondering why tall, dark, and frowny is walking towards him, and for a moment he's worried that it's a cop and he'd be arrested _again_ , but the guy's not wearing a uniform.

“What the fuck are you thinking, kid?” he asks, but despite the bite in his tone he's offering a hand up, and as Jim accepts it he has to wonder if he knows this guy from somewhere.

It takes him a few seconds to decide that, no, he'd never met mystery man before because he _definitely_ wouldn't forget a face like that.

Jim lets himself be lead over to one of the vacant booths and suddenly the guy is holding a medical tricorder up to his face and _where the fuck did he get a medical tricorder_? A throbbing pain has been building behind his eyes and he's pretty sure that he might throw up soon, but the guy's asking him a question so he pays attention.

“What the hell you pickin' fights for?” he asks, and he's waving another device in front of Jim's face.

“Are you a doctor?” Jim asks because this guy seems to know his shit and last time he checked, people didn't just walk around with fancy schmancy medical tools in their pockets.

“I might be.” Jim takes this as a “yes”.

“I didn't ' _pick a fight_ ', either.” Jim says indignantly after a moment, because he was just hitting on her! “It was Cupcake that was picking all the fights around here.” The doctor doesn't respond, just continues to hold the device in front of his nose. “There are one hundred and twelve bones in the human body, would you like another?” Jim asks finally because it's the only medical related joke he knows and the guy's fuckin' hot.

“There are two hundred and six bones in the human body.” the guy responds with a huff a Jim blinks.

“What?”

“If you're going to use awful pick-up lines at least say them correctly. There are two hundred and six bones in the human body.”

Jim's pretty sure that he knew this, but he's still drunk and he's not exactly sure _what_ he knows. Instead, he just asks, “Do you want to get a drink with me?”

“Haven't you had enough? Besides, I have a shuttle to catch in the morning.” Bones, as Jim had decided to call him in the few moments that they had been talking, grumbled this last part.

“Where you headed?”

“Starfleet Academy.”

Jim considers this for a moment. “Yeah? I've thought of doing that. But...I don't know.” It's because of his dad, of course, but he's not going to admit this to a complete stranger. Even if said stranger was helping with his broken nose.

“It'd be a helluva lot better than gettin' your ass kicked in a bar.” And Bones is right. It probably would be better, but Jim's imagining his mother's face if he told her he was going off to Starfleet and he just _knows_ that she would encourage him to do what he loved, but it would remind her so much of George and that wasn't fair.

“Yeah.” He manages. Bones is packing up his first-aid kit and for some reason Jim really doesn't want him to leave. He's a clingy drunk, what can he say? Also, he wasn't entirely sure that Cupcake wouldn't jump him once he was alone, because that would just be Jim's luck, wouldn't it? He briefly wondered if it would be appropriate to offer Bones a blowjob as a thank you for his doctorly services.

“Don't pick any more fights, you got that, kid?” Bones raises an eyebrow and Jim's stomach flutters nervously because this guy is kind of a breath of fresh air.

“When does that shuttle leave?” He asks instead of reminding the good doctor that he hadn't been the one to pick the fights.

Who knew. Maybe if he remembered to get to the shipyard on time and if he felt inclined to do so he'd get on that shuttle. Maybe he'd sleep through it and never see Bones again.

Bones leaves and Jim's left wishing he'd asked the guy for a number or something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim makes up his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of recreational drug use and underage drinking.
> 
> Chapters will hopefully eventually get longer uwu

Jim wakes up with a clear mind, hangover-free, and takes this as a sign. It's the earliest he's woken up in ages, and he may actually get to see the sunrise for a change instead of waking up at some point in the late afternoon. He packs his bag quickly and quietly, walking quietly past his mom's door and down to the kitchen where he pulls a piece of paper off the fridge and a pen and writes down his plan. The note starts off “ _Winona_ ,” but Jim ends it with, “ _I love you mom and I promise I'll call every week_ ” because he's still not sure he wants to do this to her, but excitement is settling itself in his chest and he feels like me may finally have some sort of purpose in life. With the paper placed on the fridge where Winona would undoubtedly see it, held there by one of the tacky magnets that are spread across the fridge's surface. Even if he thought he could face his mom and tell her that he was going off to Starfleet, he knows that she would ask him what happened because he still has bruises and a cut on his lip, and he doesn't want to tell her that he got into another fight. Jim grabs an apple and devours it on the way out to his bike.

He's surprised to be one of the first ones on the shuttle, and he thinks that the reality of the situation may hit him later on. He doesn't think it has quite yet. He hears Bones before he sees him, grumbling at an attendant with “dammit, I don't need a doctor, I _am_ a doctor” and Jim's glad his memory hadn't failed him because damn is Bones hot.

The doctor takes a moment to look surprised at Jim's presence before flopping into the seat right beside him and he looks like hell. “Hey, Bones!”

“What?”

“I'm the guy from the bar?” Jim tries, pointing to his face as though that will somehow jog this man's memory.

“I know who you are kid, I'm questionin' why the hell you're callin' me Bones.”

“Because I used a shitty pick-up line on you when you're clearly too much of a southern gentleman for that.”

“Should I be concerned that you're stalking me?” The eyebrow Bones raises makes Jim smile. “Because I've had too much of this goddamned legal system and I don't know if I'd want to put the effort into getting a restraining order.”

“I had just been, uh, on the fence about this whole Starfleet thing. And I guess what I needed was a push in the right direction.”

And like that they're talking, and Bones is telling Jim about his divorce and then Bones is kind of freaking out because apparently he doesn't like shuttles, or flying things. Jim reminds him that Starfleet operates in space, but he gets a look and shuts up.

Jim doesn't know exactly when it happens, but they're friends.

* * *

 

It's late on a Saturday and Jim should be writing a paper, but he's putting it off. He says he works better under pressure, and he's telling the truth unlike every other person in the universe who uses that excuse. He figures he'll get to it later, but Saturday nights are meant for fun, not esaay-writing. He's strolling through campus high as a kite because he went to a party and they had a bong when he decides he should go visit Leonard.

He's in the doctor's kitchen five minutes later trying to find anything other than plain cereal when the light flicks on and Leonard's standing there with a raised eyebrow, giving Jim one of those looks that he's learned are never as angry as they actually seem. “Hey Bones!” Jim offers, finally finding a container of peanut butter in one of the cabinets. He's opening it and sticking a finger in it before Bones can stop him, smiling sheepishly when Bones' glare hardens.

“Jim, are you high right now?” and Jim just nods, replacing the lid on the peanut butter jar and putting it back in the cabinet. “I'm beginning that you only like me for my food.” Leonard grumbles, and he's heading to the living room of the apartment. Jim follows, tempted to remind Leonard that he buys really shitty food half the time and that if he was looking for good food he'd mooch off of someone else. “So did you get kicked out of someone's party again and decide to come annoy me?” Bones asks finally, sitting on the couch.

Jim flops down beside him with an exaggerated eye roll. “That was one time Bones.” he reminds, putting his feet in Leonard's lap and lying across the couch. “And anyway, I just felt like leaving early because the party wasn't even that great. Got a blowjob, had a few bong rips, left before I got caught up in the underage drinking that was obviously going on.” Bones scoffs at this and Jim smiles because Bones always makes the best faces when he tells him of his adventures.

“Don't you have a paper to write, kid?”

“I'll write it tomorrow. You know I work best under pressure.”

And Bones doesn't argue this because he _does_ know. Hell, Jim's proven it to him enough times. “Why are you in my apartment, again?”

“Because you're my best friend.” Jim says with a grin and he wants to kiss that scowl off Leonard's face but he won't because they're just friends. And he's fine with that, really.

Even if he's just a little bit in love with the guy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some say that best friends don't have boundaries, but Jim's pretty sure that even that theory has its limits.

Jim knows that he has no right to be jealous of anything anyone does with Bones but that doesn't stop him from making faces at Helen Noel when he thinks no one is looking. They aren't even really intentional, he just feels them happen whenever he looks over at the nurse who not only stole his seat but is so obviously flirting with Bones, which sucks because he's _not blind_ and can see that Helen is completely hot.

As it turns out, someone _is_ looking and Gaila kicks him underneath the table, shooting him a knowing look. “Hey Kirk, maybe she'll disappear if you glare a bit harder.” she says and goes back to skimming through the book she needs to finish for class, using one hand to absently stab at her food while using the other to hold the PADD in her lap. Jim takes a bite of his food, willing himself not to look over once again but he finds his eyes drifting over anyway.

Bones is already looking at him, eyebrow raised, and Jim looks back down at his food because he really does want the guy to be happy. Even if it means seeing him with people who aren't him.

Suddenly, Gaila slams her book shut and lets out a frustrated groan and Jim's surprised when she actually manages to refrain from tossing the PADD across the mess hall. At least she's something to focus on rather than McCoy. He begins giving her the main plotline because he'd found the book when he was still in high school, going through his dad's things up in the attic. Gaila looks at him as though he's a God-send, jotting down a few notes when Jim discloses a few important details.

 

* * *

 

The wonderful thing about Starfleet Academy, Jim often thinks, is that there are a lot of students who are down for casual sex. It's probably the constant stress that everyone's under, but still. It works out. Sex is easy, and relationships suck when the only person you want to be in a relationship with is your best friend. Jim's pretty sure the second-year underneath him is named Craig or Chris or something, but he's not sure because he's mentally taken to calling the guy 'the one with the cute butt'. And anyway, he tries not to get too attached. There's a hand on his hip and one on his bicep, and there might be bruises later but Jim can't be bothered by that because he's close, and he knows Chris/Craig is too. He's biting his lip to keep from being too loud because they're in the dorms and he knows the walls aren't that thick, but it's been a while since he's had human contact. It's hard to find a one-night stand when the entire campus is studying for midterms.

Cute-butt is coming undone and Jim's finding it hard to think—or rather, he's finding it hard not to think of Bones because best friends don't think about each other while fucking someone else. He feels the man under him tense, arching his back with a groan as orgasm hits.

Jim is approaching that precipice, but then someone's knocking on the door, followed by a “dammit, Jim” and the door's sliding open without his consent. It's Bones' voice that tips him over that edge, and his knuckles are going white against his sheets because there's literally nothing he can do but ride out is orgasm.

In as few seconds as possible he's pulling out and rolling onto his back, despite the fact that the beds weren't built for two people, slipping the condom off so he can toss it in the waste basket. Chris/Craig is up faster than should be humanly possible and Jim is grabbing the nearest article of clothing to cover himself. He clears his throat as he looks up at Bones, and he briefly considers saying something along the lines of ' _if you wanted to join us, all you had to do is ask_ ' but thinks better of it. “Hey, Bones!” he says instead.

“Jim.” Bones crosses his arms, and Jim really tries not to look sheepish because it's not his goddamn fault that Bones has the worst timing in the universe.

Chris/Craig is pulling his clothes back on, grabbing the underwear that Jim's using as a barrier between him and Bones, and Jim is soon scrabbling to find his own underwear. As he pulls them on, he's fully aware of the flush that's spreading across his skin because Bones isn't letting up on the glare and he's never felt more naked in all his life.

“I need you to do me a favor.” the doctor says finally, not waiting until cute-butt is out of the room to begin speaking. Jim only raises an eyebrow, though he wants to ask Bones if he's in any position to be demanding favors because Jim had given him the door code for _emergencies_ only. “I need you to go on a date with Helen.”

Whatever Jim was expecting, this isn't it, and he has to take a moment to let the request really sink in. “What?” he asks finally, sitting up a bit straighter.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are reasons why Leonard shouldn't make bets that he doesn't intend to follow up on.

Jim blinks at his friend for a few moments before trying again. “What?” Because there was no way that Bones wanted him to go on a date with Helen. It didn't make any sense.

Bones heaves a sigh, and Jim doesn't miss the way that the doctor's eyes flick briefly across his bare chest. “Helen Noel. She's cute, right?”

Jim wishes he had some clothes on, and so he sets about tracking down his pants because he honestly can't wrap his head around what Bones is asking him, and he's pretty sure that he'll think more clearly if he's not mostly-naked. “There are a lot of cute people in the world, Bones. That doesn't mean I want to go on dates with all of them.” He says as he's shoving a leg into his jeans. “Besides, I thought she'd be more your type.”

“Look, there was a bet between Christine and me and I lost,” Bones makes a face at this. “and I have to take her out on a date. I want to make it a double date to make sure that nothing happens.”

“What was the bet?” Jim asks, smirking because Bones tended not to participate in bets where he thought he'd lose.

“Like I'm tellin' you.”

“So, what? I have to be your chaperone? Am I to loudly remind her to leave room for Jesus if she gets too handsy during dinner?”

“No, you just have to show up.” Bones grumbles, and Jim can tell that there's something the doctor isn't mentioning.

“What if I had plans?” Jim says in response. He doesn't, of course. But spring break is going to stat soon, and Jim _could_ have made vacation-y type plans.

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Then we don't have a problem.”

* * *

 

Jim's sitting across from Bones, wedged into the booth between the window and Helen, trying to ignore the way is knee brushes against Bones' if he moves it too far right. Jim is playing with the straw of his milkshake, and he's pretty sure he'd be having a significantly better time if Bones actually looked interested in being on a date. Not to mention, the first half of dinner had felt more like an interrogation, and Jim's not really sure how much fun he's having. He's focusing more on Bones' mouth as he spoons sundae into his mouth when Christine places her hands on the table and moves to stand. “Well, this was lovely but I have an early shift at the hospital so I need to get going.” She says amiably, and Jim can't help feeling a little surprised because they'd barely been there for forty-five minutes.

“Already?” Jim asks, because Helen is getting up too.

“Don't give me that look, Leonard, we agreed.” Christine says before smiling up at Jim, offering a small wave before turning to leave.

“I had a nice time!” Helen adds, and she's following Christine out the door.

Jim takes a sip of his milkshake as he relaxes into the seat, looking over at Bones. “Any clue what that was about?” he asks, because Bones is definitely withholding information.

Bones takes a moment to stare at Jim, thoughts impossible to read, before heaving a sigh. “It wasn't technically a date.” he says finally. Jim simply raises an eyebrow in question, willing Bones to elaborate a little bit because if it wasn't a date, then what the fuck was it? “I mentioned that bet.”

“You did.”

“Well, it wasn't so much a bet as it was...a challenge.” Bones takes a bite of his sundae to buy himself some time. “She guessed that I wasn't responding to her romantic advances because I already had my eye on someone, and from there she figured out who it was because she ain't an idiot.”

Jim scrapes his straw on the inside of his cup, not breaking eye contact as he licks the last of his milkshake off of it. “So you didn't respond to her romantic advances and yet you were just on a date with her?”

“She bet me that I wouldn't have the nerve to ask...this person, out on a date within two weeks, and I agreed with no intentions to ask anyone out because I assumed it would just be another one of those things that gets forgotten.”

“Psh, Bones, that's not realistic, Christine Chapel never forgets anything.”

“Yeah, well.” Bones makes another one of his faces and Jim can't help but brush their knees together underneath the table.

“What was the bet?”

“That if I didn't ask you out within two weeks, we'd all go out together and she'd try to see if I had a chance.”

Jim feels his breath stop for a moment but he manages a small smile anyway. “What about Helen?”

“She found out about it, too. I guess they both assumed that a second opinion would be necessary. And they like gossip.”

“So are you going to ask me out?” Jim asks after a moment. Their voices are quiet, and he wonders briefly when they'd turned the volume down so drastically, but hope is blooming inside his chest and he's finding it hard to do anything other than stare into the doctor's eyes.

“Still not entirely sure that I have a chance.” Bones says and Jim wants to roll his eyes.

“When we first met, I tried to get into your pants.” Jim reminds gently, tugging the spoon away from Leonard's fingers and taking a bite of ice cream for himself.

“When we first met, you were drunk and flirting with anything that moved.” Bones grumbles, grabbing his spoon back. “I walked in on you fucking some guy!”

“Bones, you're the reason I joined Starfleet!” Jim doesn't really know why they're arguing this, but he knows that he wants Bones to ask him out and that he's ready to say yes in an instant. “And there's a difference between casual sex and sex with someone you like, especially when you don't think the person you like likes you back. So are you gonna ask me out? Because I would say that you're chances are at least 80% favorable. At least.”

“We _are_ out.” Bones says and Jim smirks at him, because despite the subject they're discussing, they're doing it as _best friends_.

“This hasn't stopped being a double date with the ladies yet.” Jim says in response, offering a small, remorseless shrug.

“Do you want to go get a drink, asshole?” Bones asks finally, his words lacking bite.

“I'll have to consider it.” Jim says, but he doesn't need to consider anything, his fingers intentionally brushing Leonard's as he steals the spoon back.


	5. We are Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit delayed because I had college orientation and about a million other things to do, sorry uwu

Jim's drunk when they finally decide to leave the bar, Bones even more so, but the crisp night air is reinvigorating and gives Jim the courage he needs to move his hand a few inches over to twine it with Leonard's. There have been so many times when he's wanted to do so—when they're walking to the mess and their hands bump together—but Jim has never had the opportunity to act on the impulse before. They're walking slowly, stumbling here and there but managing not to look too intoxicated, not that anyone would particularly give a shit because it's the end of midterms. They hadn't actually discussed anything over drinks—or, more correctly, hadn't discussed anything really _important_ , mostly because the bar had been obnoxiously loud, but Jim's still not exactly sure where they stand.

They walk in silence for a while, hands clasped together. It isn't until they reach one of the grassy areas on campus that Jim stops and lets himself fall to the ground, dragging Bones down with them until they're lying side-by-side on the grass. “You know,” Jim starts, seeing the way Bones turns his face slightly, “I'm still not sure this is actually happening.”

“That's the alcohol talking.”

“I think it's just more that you're too good to be true and I've wanted this since I first saw you.” Jim runs a thumb across the back of Leonard's hand, eyes flicking from star to star because he can't focus on just one. Or maybe his vision is swimming and he can't even tell if he's seeing double because there are a ton of stars in the sky anyway.

“Coulda' fooled me.” Bones grumbles, earning a chuckle.

“Hey, you're the one who denied my flirting attempts in Riverside. I was happy just being your friend. I _am_ happy being your friend. But, I mean, you never seemed interested in being more than that, and I didn't want to force anything onto you.”

Bones scoffs, but he's smiling. “Maybe you're just blind, because it didn't even take Nurse Chapel that long to figure it out.”

“Oh hey, look, a shooting star!” Jim says suddenly, bringing up their entwined hands to he can point to where the streak of light has already faded. He pauses for a moment, taking a moment to formulate a sentence in his head as he continues to stare up at the seemingly-infinite expanse of stars. “I'm going to be out there one day, Bones. And you're gonna be on my ship.”

“Jim, I need to know that what's happening right now isn't going to change our friendship. I went through all that with Jocelyn, and I don't think I could handle it with you.” Bones' voice is strained, and Jim can't blame him because even though Jocelyn had broken the guy's heart, they had been really good friends once, even if his ex-wife turned out to be kind of a bitch.

Jim struggles to lean up on an elbow so he can see Leonard's face because he needs him to know that he's 110% serious about this. “That will never happen, Bones.”

“I didn't think it would with Joss, either.” Bones says in response, and Jim wants to reassure him that he would never be caught in bed with someone else, but he doesn't want to compare their his potential relationship with Bones to the one Bones had with Jocelyn.

Instead, he moves so that he's straddling Bones' hips, putting his hands in the grass on either side of the doctor's head. “Stop talking.” He nearly-whispers, and he makes a note to reassure Bones as often as he can that he won't be going anywhere any time soon. He smiles before leaning further down and pressing his lips to Leonard's, and _oh how long he's wanted to do this_.

They're too drunk to kiss for long, and Jim begins to doze off while he's still half on top of Bones, but both of them are too intoxicated to care that anyone could stumble upon the two of them cuddling.

When Jim wakes up to Uhura kicking his foot, he blinks groggily and looks up, but he's thankful that it's her and not someone else, because she was at least somewhat friendly towards him. Even if he still didn't know her first name. “You should probably get up before someone else comes along.” She says, but there's a smile in her eyes as she appraises the two men on the ground.

Jim groans because his stomach turns at the thought of getting up, but the thought of falling asleep in a bed next to Bones makes it seem like walking back to the residence halls would be worth the effort.

* * *

Jim is woken up sometime in the morning to a hypo in the neck, but it's too early and Bones is being gentle for once, and he'd thank the guy later anyway when he was hangover-free, but he quickly falls back asleep.

It's not until a few hours later—or, at least he thinks it's been a few hours, but he can't really be certain—he wakes up again with an arm slung around his waist from behind. Wrapped up in Leonard's scent, he smiles into the blanket that he'd pulled up to his neck and can't help the way his chest flutters because he wouldn't mind waking up like this more often. He stretches, indulging in the feel of a body pressed against his. It's not something he often experienced with one night stands because most of them weren't into the whole cuddling thing. But this is even better, he thinks, because this is Bones and there's no one he'd rather wake up in a bed with.

“You awake?” Leonard asks quietly, closer to Jim's ear than the blond had originally thought.

In response, he shifts until he's facing the other direction. “Good morning, sunshine.”

“How are you feeling?” Bones asks, but Jim's trying to commit the image of the doctor looking contented with his hair disheveled from sleep to his memory.

“If I lied and told you I had a hangover, would you kiss me and make it better?” he asks with a cheeky smile, lifting a hand and running it through Bones' hair.

“I was thinking I'd make some pancakes first.”

Jim considers this for a moment, because he can feel his stomach grumbling but he doesn't necessarily want to get out of bed. He's not sure if he can part with the feeling of having Bones so close to him.

“Pancakes sound good.” He says quietly after a prolonged internal deliberation.

Bones smiles and moves to get out of bed, and Jim's following him into the kitchen like an over-excited puppy. He can't even remember the last time he'd had pancakes.

“Maybe I should have tried kissing you forever ago.” Jim muses, slipping into one of the chairs on either side of the small table across the room from the stove. “Because you've never made me breakfast before.”

Bones scoffs, laying everything out on the counter before turning to face Jim. “It would have saved us some time.” and Jim can see the flush on his friend's cheeks, even better now that he knows he's the one who put it there.

Jim's on his feet in a flash, using one hand to pull Bones forward into a kiss. The fact that he's allowed to do that now is almost overwhelming, and he'll be damned if he doesn't take advantage of it. With his other hand, he grabs a few blueberries from the carton on the counter, pulling away with a smirk and going back to the chair. “So.” He says, popping a berry into his mouth, leaning his chin on his hand as he looks up at Bones. “What are you planning on doing for the break?”

“You know I hardly ever do anything for break.” Bones says in response, turning his back to Jim so he can prepare the pancake mix.

“Good, so I can take you to dinner.” Jim says brightly. Bones glances back with an eyebrow raised, and Jim gets to his feet again because he's to excited to sit. “Last night was like...a trial run or something, I dunno.” He shrugs, moving to grab another handful of blueberries because he wasn't lying when he said he was hungry, ignoring the way Bones tries to swat his hand away. “Last night let me know that it's okay to ask you out. But is wasn't much in terms of a first date.” He pauses. “So. Would you do me the honor of going out to dinner sometime?”

“I'll have to consider it.” Bones says in response, a sparkle in his eyes as he looks into Jim's eyes.

He doesn't have to consider anything, and Jim grins because he's never felt happier.


End file.
